EmpathyLab announces Empathy Day – 9 June 2022 with Welsh Schools participating

June 9th is National Empathy Day

The day, organised by not-for-profit EmpathyLab, is an annual event in which books are used to help children experience empathy’s transformational power. 

Since 2019, EmpathyLab’s schools programme has been focused in Wales, where the new Curriculum for Wales 2022 features empathy 35 times. EmpathyLab partner with the Books Council of Wales, school improvement body ERW, and local authorities, alongside various clusters of primary and secondary schools. 

Research from the whole Wales school programme has found very positive outcomes: 

96.7% of teachers reported that they felt more confident and more able to teach empathy skills 

96% of teaches said that pupils’ knowledge and understanding of empathy had improved 

89% of teachers reported seeing an improvement in the vocabulary pupils were using to describe feelings 

‘Pupils are seeking out injustices and using empathy to resolve differences in the classroom and playground. There have been fewer incidences of racism since we began our empathy journey.’ – Headteacher, Pembroke Dock Community School 

The programme aims to inspire children and families with brilliant events and home or school-based celebrations, and will be preceded by a fortnight of family activities, empathy-themed online readings, illustrations and specially written stories. We have many authors and teachers involved, including teachers from Pembroke Dock Community School, who are available for interview. 

Spearheading the programme are Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell, former Laureates Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Rosen, Noughts and Crosses author Malorie Blackman and poet Lemn Sissay. Others include Sophie Dahl, Stephen Mangan, Nadia Shireen, Onjali Rauf, Rashmi Sireshpande, Phil Earle and award-winning illustrator Rob Biddulph. 

This year’s programme focuses on empathy — our human superpower, challenging us to activate our power and be the best versions of ourselves we can be. Schools, libraries and families can join in by reading from the Empathy Collection of expertly selected children’s books and taking part in the Empathy Superpower Challenge which has nine empathy-boosting activities designed to teach and boost empathy skills. 

Founded in 2014 against a backdrop of rising hate crimes, the movement continues to gain momentum, backed by scientific evidence showing that empathy can be learnt and that we can train our brain with stories. Led by Miranda McKearney OBE, EmpathyLab partners with schools, libraries, publishers, authors and illustrators to inspire a new story-driven empathy movement. A specially crafted Empathy Day package of toolkits, activities and reading lists all help children develop and use their empathy skills.